News, analysis, and information on Minnesota's political campaign season from a DFL perspective, with all the snarky wonkishness you can handle.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Flame on!

No, I still haven't seen The Fantastic Four. On to the flamings!

StPaul_DFLer said...

Sorry, I was looking for the Minnesota Campaign Report and stumbled here upon the Kelley for Governor page.

You guys blow and have no credibility on the Gov's race.

Yet somehow, you're still here, StPaul_DFLer. There's exactly one downside to the possibilities blogs open up to political communication between all participants, and it's that tossing insults around like they're penny candy loses any and all consequences it may have had. Like StPaul_DFLer is fond of doing.

Look, politics is tough. If you can't handle your personal pet candidate taking a few potshots here and there, tough noogies. That's the nature of the game, and you whining about who I support isn't going to win you any points. I call events in every race like I see them, and the fact that I have had a longer and deeper perspective on the Governor's race and the Kelley Campaign in particular doesn't change that.

I've now seen each of the four major DFL candidates in person, and am impressed with most of them for various reasons, but still believe Steve Kelley to have the right ideas, and have put in the most time, effort, and political will into the race. I think that's what the DFL should be looking for, not tossing around their pet favorite's talking points (I like Lourey's line about never having faced an incumbent. Senate races and Gubernatorials are a bit different, guys).

But to get back to the point - how's this for credibility: I take fellow bloggers at their word that the opinions they espouse in their blogs are ... well, ... their opinions. When they try to pass it off as fact, I call them on it, as I've done with MDE and Republican Minnesota several times. Beyond that, if I don't like what's being written, I don't read it. It's a free country. StPaul_DFLer might be surprised to note that I read several right-leaning blogs, not because I'm doing opposition research, but because they write well and sometimes have good things to say. I don't find it necessary to ride around on a high horse telling this person and that person that they don't have credibility because I don't agree with them. That kind of attitude loses elections, and that's not what I'm about.

----------------------------------------------Tony said:
I respect you for being upfront about your bias and not continuing on the false idea that there is not a bias in writing, reporting, etc.

While I disagree with your choice for governor, I at least respect your being forthright while trying to be fair in the access. It is a tough job. It is tougher to be fair while admitting one's bias than to be absolutely dishonest and saying they have no bias.